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GreenMan Technologies Inc., a Lynnfield company that converts discarded tires into other products, saw its third-quarter revenue slide modestly from a year ago while it swung dramatically to a loss amid a wave of consolidation.
GreenMan, whose granulated tire byproducts are sold as fuel, crushed-stone substitute and for roof shingles, said it has invested $3.8 million so far this year in new equipment and new markets.
"While we still have work ahead of us to achieve our desired goals, we believe a majority of the investment is behind us," said Bob Davis, GreenMan president and CEO, in a statement.
Sales in the April-to-June quarter totaled $7.16 million, barely lower than the $7.18 million that changed hands in the year-ago quarter. Those sales filtered to the bottom line as a $971,000 loss. That reversed a profit of $431,000 a year ago.
Performance after nine months of the fiscal year shows healthier sales, with $21.3 million this year versus $19 million a year ago. But GreenMan has posted a cumulative $2.5 million loss so far in fiscal 2003, reversing a $892,000 profit a year earlier.
"With the realization of our fiscal 2003 initiatives on the horizon, we anticipate a stronger fourth quarter and believe that fiscal 2004 will define the future of GreenMan and reward our shareholders for their continued support and patience," Davis said.


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Everything you need to know about Gen Z and Millennial research and marketing, at your fingertips.
3 Ways TV Tech Is Keeping Up With Young Consumers
With young consumers increasingly watching content on laptops and smartphones, many have declared the TV set dead. But our research tells a different story...
February 21st, 2018
10 Brands Millennials & Gen Z Say Do The Most (And Least) Social Good
We asked 1000 13-35-year-olds to tell us the brands that they think does the best job supporting a social cause, and which they think do...
February 19th, 2018
McDonald’s Happy Meal Gets a Little Less Happy on The Viral List
McDonald’s cuts the calories from Happy Meals, Snapchat’s massive redesign over the weekend is not going over well with users, teens...
February 16th, 2018
“I don't understand what is so freaking enthralling about curling, but you can't stop watching once you start.”—Male, 29, NC
FOMO may be fueling teens’ smartphone addictions. Author Ana Homayoun explained that social media companies “create this system where you always want to be online. And it can create this fear of missing out if we're not online.” Homayoun argues there are some ways parents can curb addictive behavior: Introduce mobile incrementally by starting them off with a flip phone, establish times and days when the phone is off-limits (especially at night), don’t let them use it as an alarm, and monitor their usage using apps like Circle or OurPact. (CNBC)
Avocado proposals are exactly what you think they are, and the Millennial wedding trend is gaining steam. Don’t worry, the ring-in-the-avocado move has yet to become a “full-blown trend,” but it’s on its way. At least a couple of accounts posted playful images, and since then—several actual proposals have occurred. Maybe instead of hindering Millennials’ major life milestones (like buying a house), avocados are actually helping them pop the question. (The Cut)
The traditional American mall may be dying, but a new crop of futuristic malls is paving the way for retail. Malls are closing because “we built too many, too cheaply,” so new malls will be grander and more tailored to young consumers’ expectation for experiences than ever. “Museum-ing” malls with modern design is step one. The rest has to do with “giv[ing] people a reason to come beyond filling shopping bags” by adding experiences that can only happen offline—like spas, pet grooming, restaurants galore, and more. (Curbed)
Toy companies are speeding up their production processes to chase viral trends—but smaller brands are beating out industry giants. MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise was 2017’s top seller according to NPD, leaving traditional winners in the dust. However, they’re trying to catch up. Hasbro’s “Quick Strike” team is picking up on social media trends and turning them into toys—they developed Fantastic Gymnastics based off of water bottle-flipping videos in just 11 weeks. Mattel has also created a small team with a similar purpose. (WSJ)
Even beauty brands are tapping into young consumers’ passion for health & fitness, offering “active beauty” lines. In line with athleisure’s undying popularity, makeup meant for working out is coming in vogue. Indie brands like Pretty Athletic and Sweat Cosmetic offer products like sweat-proof foundation and pollution-blocking sunscreen. But bigger brands are in on the trend too: E.l.f. Beauty and Clinique both have fitness-focused lines. Some of it may just be smart rebranding, but experts say there’s real innovation behind the new makeup too. (Glossy)
“I eat [Pizza Hut] least two times per month; it's one of my favorite places to go to eat pizza.”—Male, 35, VA

domain: news


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With a little nudge by a pandemic, the curtain has been opened between the consumer and food system, according to Toronto-based Nourish Food Marketing president Jo-Ann MacArthur.
“For the first time (consumers are) starting to read about it. They’re starting to ask questions and they’re starting to understand that distribution systems are different for retailers versus food service,” said MacArthur.
“And they’re also starting to look at conditions and how our food is grown, harvested and produced, and that, I think, will be a lasting effect of this crisis.”
The sudden effect on primary agriculture as a result of the pandemic was the big surprise for Len Kahn of Kahntact Marketing. He said he wasn’t surprised at how well the primary ag sector handled the crisis, but was amazed at the supply repercussions.
“One thing I never would’ve thought of was french fries. When restaurants started to close, demand for french fries dropped rapidly and there were some pretty serious effects on potato producers in the Maritimes and across Canada,” he said.
“That happened almost suddenly because you were coming out of last year with potatoes in storage and they were backing up and now it’s planting season. So just how interconnected the food system is, this really pointed that out to me as well,” Kahn said.
The two industry experts spoke this fall during Canada’s Digital Farm Show. They discussed how the pandemic has accelerated production and consumption trends.
Generations of consumers have never known real hunger but in 2020 they experienced the shock of empty shelves in some stores.
“The pivot overnight was incredible because prior to this we were eating many of our meals, more than half the time, from out of home, whether that was delivery, takeout, eating in a restaurant. Overnight that basically went to almost zero,” said MacArthur.
“We’ve never seen those kinds of shortages. We track consumer behavior and the consumer started to Google food supply and food systems and words that they never would have used.”
MacArthur referenced a July survey of more than 11,000 Canadians in which 42 percent said they didn’t know where they would be living in one year’s time.
“That’s unprecedented in terms of uncertainty,” she said.
Consumers’ behaviour related to food has also changed throughout the pandemic. People began cooking more at home.
“In extraordinary times, you reach for the ordinary,” is a saying MacArthur found to be true, given higher meat sales and more focus on fresh food.
However, alcohol sales also increased, likely as a way for people to deal with stress.
As the pandemic progressed, people began to refocus on health. They also stepped up attention on reducing food waste to keep within limited budgets.
Kahn said the pandemic has turned more attention to food logistics and distribution.
“These are the things we tend not to talk about. We complain because we get stuck behind a slow truck on the 401. Now we realize that that truck has the food that’s going to the grocery store,” he said.
“I think it’s just been a whole awakening. And I think in the long term, that’s going to be a positive if we don’t squander the opportunity.”
The two speakers agreed that consumers came to rely on resiliency and efficiency within the supply chain.
“It’s food security. And part of food security is this movement that was happening before. I think we’ll be on steroids coming out of this (pandemic), which is supporting our own producers. So the whole trend to local buying Canadian, that has been a trend for a while, especially in times of crisis,” MacArthur said.
“There’s this sense of community coming out of that. I think that will be a long-term impact of this. There’s a new appreciation for farmers and people who get the food on the shelf and on our plate. We’re going to want to support our own producers and manufacturers.”
A new dynamic has formed since the start of the pandemic. Opportunities have increased for online marketing and delivery as more consumers buy directly from farmers.
With the shock to the restaurant supply chain, small- to medium-sized farm producers who were supplying food services have had to find new markets.
“Companies (are) springing up to actually do online ordering of inputs and supplies with delivery. And that has always been kind of the third rail in ag because of the key role that retailers have,” said Kahn.
“I still think retailers have a key role, but I think the functionality coming out of this could change more rapidly. I can see the government investing more quickly and heavily in rural broadband, and I can see supply chains changing because of that.”
However, consumers’ desire to shop remains.
“There’s that love of going out and discovering, especially the perimeter of the store, which has all the fresh produce and proteins,” said MacArthur.
Many consumers now pay more attention to food quality as well as how it is grown, made or raised.
“I was shocked at how few people knew about our use of temporary foreign workers,” MacArthur said.
“They now understand the conditions and that’s becoming a real hot button. Before it was how you treat your animals. It’s expanded now to how do you treat your labour. Even frontline workers in grocery stores — living wage discussions, full-time employment, benefits, citizenship, worker conditions — these things are broadening,” she said.
Kahn said the primary ag sector could take advantage of consumers’ interest and engagement with food and its sources.
Organizations are helping bridge the gap between the consumer and producer.
“I think for example, (the) Centre for Food Integrity is kind of an integrator for all parts of the food system and that’s their kind of unique point. And I do see them continuing with this, and maybe you may even see some government support for things like that,” he said.
MacArthur said the pandemic has highlighted the lack of value-added food processing in Canada.
Kahn said he hopes primary producers, processors and retailers will do a better job of working together.
“It’s all about margin and money, but I think we’ve seen here that hanging together is not only good for the industry, but it’s probably more profitable and it does set us up in a better way to handle future shock,” he said.
“I’d say my confidence level is a little lower than my hopeful level, but let’s see.”


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Huawei Mate 10 Lite now official: 18:9 screen and a total of four cameras
Huawei unveiled its flagship phones yesterday - the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro and the luxurious Porsche Design Mate 10 - but it did not say anything about the rumored more affordable model, the Mate 10 Lite.
Well, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite is now official: after the company unveiled the phone in China, it has now officially uncovered it in Europe and confirmed plans to sell it on the Old Continent, but did not mention anything about US availability.
The Mate 10 Lite is a likable mid-range $400 phone (€400 as it's available in Europe so far) with a 5.9-inch 18:9 screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and minimal bezels.
Unlike the flagships, the Mate 10 Lite is based on the company's Kirin 659 system chip, a step below the top tier Kirin 970 chip and lacking the latter's artificial intelligence chip. The Mate 10 Lite features an octa-core processor working along with 4GB of RAM and a generous 64GB of on-board storage. You have a hybrid SIM card slot, so you can choose whether to use this phone as a dual SIM device or instead make use of it as a single SIM + microSD card phone.
The Mate 10 Lite ships with a whopping four cameras: two on the back and two on the front. On the back you have a 16-megapixel main one and a 2-megapixel secondary one, so that you can create photos with a blurred background, similar to Portrait Mode on devices like the iPhone. Up front, there is a 13-megapixel shooter and another 2MP camera, also working together. The battery capacity is 3,340mAh.
The bad news is that the Mate 10 Lite ships with Android 7.0 Nougat, unlike the Android 8.0 Oreo-toting Huawei flagships, and it will likely take months until it gets updates. The price is set at €400 in Europe and the phone will be available in gold, graphite black and aurora blue. The Mate 10 Lite will be available in Europe in the beginning of November.


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After a five-day closure, the United States Postal Service restored operations at the Loxahatchee Post Office, located at 14611 Southern Blvd. in Loxahatchee Groves, on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
Operations had been temporarily suspended on Friday, Feb. 8 to address facility conditions due to flooding.
During the closure, retail operations were moved to the Palms West Post Office, located at 10299 Southern Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. However, post office box customers were still able to pick up their mail at the Loxahatchee Post Office during the closure.
Retail and delivery operations resumed on Wednesday. Retail hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The post office is closed Saturday and Sunday.
The United States Postal Service apologizes to its customers for any inconvenience caused by the temporary suspension of operations.


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Markets have been reacting quite positively to the announcement during the Buenos Aires G-20 that the US had agreed to freeze planned new tariff actions against China. I want to give you some of my thoughts on what could happen next in that relationship and what all of this means for the global economy. So, let me start with what was actually agreed this weekend.
The Escalation Freeze
Put simply, what’s happened is the US has put a temporary 90-day freeze on the trade war escalation that it had planned for the beginning of 2019. And in return, China has made a few concessions. You can see the outline here in the White House statement issued on Saturday. Below are the key points:
- Tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods won’t be raised on Jan 1st. But those tariffs will be raised to 25% if China and the US cannot reach a deal in the next 90 days.
- The Chinese said that both leaders asked their negotiating teams to speed up talks, to work toward a deal which would scrap all tariffs.
- As a quid pro quo for the freeze, China has agreed to purchase “very substantial” amounts of US farm, energy, industrial and other products. They will also immediately start buying American agricultural products like soybeans again.
- Xi will also reconsider the Qualcomm-NXP deal.
- And finally, China will classify Fentanyl, the drug causing so much havoc in the opioid addiction crisis, as a controlled substance.
- Additionally, the two countries will work toward a nuclear-weapon free Korean peninsula.
How to judge the trade war freeze
A couple of things here: this is a freeze. So none of this is permanent. I reckon Trump saw a freeze as a quick win. Trump sees stock market gains as affirmation of his efficacy as US President. And so, he has become concerned about the blame for the stock market’s fall that many have placed on trade tensions. He has tried to fault the Fed. But still, having ninety days affords Trump an opportunity to see whether the economy decelerates from here. And that will guide him on how aggressive he will be regarding protectionist moves if a deal isn’t reached.
In addition, in some senses, this really isn’t as big a deal economically as it seems. China’s current tariff on cars is 40%, only because of Trump’s tariff moves. China had a 25% tariff on foreign cars. But, in April, in a speech at the Boao forum, XI had announced a plan to reduce to 15%, as a sign of conciliation. But, after Trump hit China with more tariffs, Xi bumped US car tariffs up to 40%. So, going forward, the real question is whether China would go lower than 15%.
Finally, your base case has to be no deal when this 90-day period ends on March 1st. There are huge differences between the US and China on difficult issues like Chinese industrial policy and on intellectual property. After an initial pop, many Chinese, US and Asian companies will continue to face uncertainty, especially since the quid pro quo terms that China has agreed to aren’t very specific. According to the US, China pledged to buy “a not yet agreed upon, but very substantial, amount of agricultural, energy, industrial, and other product”. But, China did not mention any purchases in its press release.
Oh, and remember by March 1st, the 2020 election timetable will have started. People will have started to announce their candidacy by then. So, that’s going to weigh on Trump as he decides how to act.
The economic outlook in China and Japan
The starting economic conditions for the emerging markets and Asia are not very good. A slew of Asian PMI data ht the wires last night as I was preparing for bed. And the numbers were poor. And let’s remember that supply chains for Chinese manufacturing stretch right across Asia. So trade tensions are having a region-wide impact.
I would highlight four countries’ PMIs as a broad cross-section of economic activity here. I tweeted some of this last night.
China, which has no growth in manufacturing:
The Caixin China manufacturing purchasing managers’ index edged up to 50.2 in November from 50.1 in October, moving slightly higher above the 50-point level separating expansion from contraction.
Production remained unchanged from October, the survey found, but total new orders picked up for a second straight month. However, demand from abroad flagged as a sub-index for export orders dropped further into contraction.
The results of the Caixin survey, which focuses on smaller and private companies, follows the official PMI reading of 50 from the National Bureau of Statistics released last week.
The no-growth reading for the official headline figure, which tracks larger and mostly state-run manufacturers, marked the first failure to expand since July 2016 and came as a sub-index for new orders dropped closer to the 50-point line and contraction in export orders continued roughly apace from the previous month.
Japan, where numbers are the weakest in over a year:
November survey data revealed that Japan’s manufacturing sector continued to expand, albeit to the weakest extent since August 2017. Weighing on the overall rate of improvement were slower rises in production and new orders. Export orders also increased at a weaker rate amid reports of softer demand from China and Europe. Meanwhile, firms were less upbeat towards future output than in October, with confidence falling to a two-year low. Nonetheless, additional staff were hired, while input buying grew at an accelerated pace.
The headline Nikkei Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – a composite single – figure indicator of manufacturing performance – fell from 52.9 in October to 52.2 in November, therefore pointing to a slower rate of improvement in business conditions. The latest reading for the headline index was the lowest since August 2017.
Elsewhere in Asia
Indonesia, on the verge of contraction:
Growth momentum in Indonesia’s manufacturing sector slowed further midway through the fourth quarter amid soft demand conditions. While output continued to increase, overall new orders were largely stagnant. There was evidence that higher prices weighed on client demand.
Supply chains remained stretched as weather-related disruptions and material shortages hampered distribution efforts. Weak demand saw firms holding back on buying activity. Employment also grew at a slower pace. Inflationary pressures meanwhile remained strong. That said, business confidence continued to be positive.
The headline seasonally adjusted Nikkei Indonesia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index dipped to 50.4 in November from 50.5 in October, marking another marginal improvement in the health of the sector. The latest reading was the lowest for five months. The headline PMI provides a snapshot of the manufacturing performance in the country and derives from questions on output, new orders, employment, inventories and delivery times.
And Thailand, where November PMI data is the backdrop for the weakest quarterly performance in the manufacturing sector in two years:
Thailand’s manufacturing conditions deteriorated further midway through the fourth quarter amid signs of softer client demand. Output strengthened, but total new sales fell further despite a rise in overseas orders. Employment remained soft while supply chains were capable of handling firms’ input demand…
The seasonally adjusted Nikkei Thailand Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose from 48.9 in October to 49.8 in November, indicating a marginal deterioration in the health of the sector. The headline PMI provides a snapshot of the manufacturing performance in the country and derives from questions on output, new orders, employment, inventories and delivery times.
The US Federal Reserve
In the US, I honestly believe the holiday sales numbers are going to turn out ok. So, in January, we are going to get a slew of numbers that will confirm that the US expansion remains on track from employment and wages to consumption, services, production, new orders, and business confidence. That’s my prediction.
What that means is that the Fed will have raised rates once later this month, followed by relatively bullish incoming data in January. The next hike is scheduled for March. And all during that time frame there will be a freeze on new tariffs on China. And so that means the data would need to drop dramatically in February or the end of the freeze on March 1st would have to put the Fed off enough to change guidance in the March meeting.
So, my base case is for the Fed to continue to signal four more hikes through the end of 2019, including two that they execute later this month and then in March. Between March and June, the Fed will then have time to reassess and push back its timetable, depending on the incoming data. Some of this will be informed by what’s happening in the credit markets.
So, overall, this freeze in the US-China trade war is bullish, but not dramatically so. At the margin, it might actually help growth in Asia, taking away one cautionary note for the Fed. And since I expect the US economy to continue to hum along at a level that means no guidance change, this China news is modestly bearish for interest rates in the US.


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Micron Technology, Inc
Micron Technology, Inc Articles
SSDs with NVMe performance and QLC NAND
Micron Technology has announced new client solid-state drives (SSDs) that bring NVMe performance to client computing applications, freeing laptops, workstations and other portables from legacy architectures that can rob devices of battery power, performance and productivity.
Open-source storage engine designed for SSDs
Micron Technology has announced a heterogeneous-memory storage engine (HSE), open-source storage engine designed specifically for solid-state drives (SSDs) and storage-class memory (SCM). Legacy storage engines born in the era of hard disk drives (HDDs) failed to architecturally provide for the increased performance and reduced latency of next-generation nonvolatile media.
Low-power DDR5 DRAM boosts performance in smartphone
Micron Technology and Motorola have announced integration of Micron’s low-power DDR5 DRAM into Motorola’s new motorola edge+ smartphone, bringing the full potential of the 5G experience to consumers.
Micron 5210 SSD speeds hard disk drive displacement
Micron Technology has announced new Micron 5210 ION enterprise SATA SSD capacity and features, solidifying Micron’s leadership in QLC technology volume production. The world’s first QLC solid-state drive (SSD), the Micron 5210 is based on the company’s advanced QLC NAND technology and quickly replacing legacy hard disk drives (HDDs).
$35m to support global communities affected by COVID-19
Micron Technology has announced plans to commit $35 million to help those disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The company will launch a new Micron Foundation $10 million relief fund, increase employee gift matching, and introduce financial assistance for team members through grants.
Universal flash storage for 5G smartphone performance
Micron Technology has announced it began sampling the industry’s first universal flash storage (UFS) multichip package (uMCP) with low-power DDR5 (LPDDR5) DRAM. The uMCP provides high-density and low-power storage designed to fit on slim and compact midrange smartphone designs.
FPGAs powered by high-performance GDDR6 memory
Memory and storage solutions provider, Micron Technology, has announced that its GDDR6 memory, Micron's fastest and most powerful graphics memory, will be the high-performance memory of choice supporting Achronix's next-generation stand-alone FPGA products built on TSMC seven nanometre process technology.
Diversity and Inclusion 2018 Benchmark Report
Micron Technology Inc. today announced that it has published its first annual Diversity & Inclusion Report, demonstrating the company’s commitment to building a diverse workforce and inclusive culture reflective of the communities and customers it serves. In addition to the report which benchmarks Micron’s diversity efforts, the Micron Foundation revealed that it is contributing $10 million to fund global programs and activities t...
Next-Generation FPGAs with GDDR6 for machine learning
Micron Technology has announced that its GDDR6 memory, Micron's fastest and most powerful graphics memory, will be the high-performance memory of choice supporting Achronix's next-generation stand-alone FPGA products built on TSMC 7nm process technology.
QLC to Lead Market Transition from HDD to SSD
Micron Technology has announced the next step towards market leadership for its quad-level cell (QLC) NAND technology with immediate broad market availability of the popular Micron 5210 ION enterprise SATA SSD, the world’s first QLC SSD, which began shipping to select customers and partners in May of this year.
New Machine Learning Capabilities to Advance Science and Research
Micron Technology, Inc., an industry leader in innovative memory and storage solutions, today announced the company has joined CERN openlab, a unique public-private partnership, by signing a three-year agreement. Under the agreement, Micron will provide CERN with advanced next-generation memory solutions to further machine learning capabilities for high-energy physics experiments at the laboratory.
Micron collaborates with German automaker to advance automotive memory
Micron Technology has announced that it will collaborate with the BMW Group to further advance the development of automotive memory solutions used in vehicles.
Micron unveils secure NOR Flash memory solution
Micron Technology has introduced its new MT25Q NOR flash enabled with Authenta technology, providing content and command authentication to protect device functionality at the silicon level.
Micron unveils complete high-density 45nm automotive-grade NOR Flash portfolio
Micron Technology has announced its complete high-density automotive AEC-Q100 Grade 1 (+125°C) qualified NOR flash portfolio to enable next-generation, ultra-high temperature automotive solutions with fast boot and instant-on performance, along with direct execute-in-place (XiP) operation.
1TB automotive and industrial grade PCIe NVMe Flash storage
Micron Technology has introduced the industry’s first 1TB automotive and industrial grade PCIe NVMe solid state drive (SSD) in BGA and 22x30mm M.2 form factors at Electronica 2018. Based on 64-layer triple-level cell (TLC) 3D NAND technology, the new Micron 2100 series of NVMe SSDs is designed for next-generation autonomous cars and the industrial internet of things (IIoT).
Leading memory for AI, IoT edge and autonomous driving vehicles
Electronic Specifier had a chance to meet with memory solutions provider Micron at the recent electronica exhibition in Munich. The company, with headquarters in Boise, Idaho, specialises in DRAM, NAND Flash, NOR Flash, Hybrid memory solutions and Solid State Drives (SSDs), which have applications in a broad line of industries such as automotive, consumer, embedded, industrial, mobile, networking and financial.
How can the right memory and storage help the cloud?
Future-proof your cloud decisions with Micron's solutions and a roadmap that’s in sync with hyperscale cloud providers.
ATP to support Micron's legacy DRAM modules (SDR/DDR)
ATP has announced a license agreement with Micron Technology, to support legacy DRAM modules (SDR/DDR) previously manufactured by Micron. Micron published EOL notices for these SDR and DDR DRAM modules in January 2015 with a Last Time Buy (LTB) in July 2015 and a Last Time Ship (LTS) in January 2016.
SSD features Enterprise-level data encryption
Accelerating the transition from legacy HDDs to higher-performance flash-based storage, the M510DC SATA SSD has been introduced by Micron Technology for read-centric data centre workloads. The device combines a suite of firmware data protection features with the market's first true TCG Enterprise-level data encryption for SSDs, a capability that is of paramount importance to the highly scrutinised medical, banking and government industries.
TLC NAND provides efficient, high-performance storage
Micron Technology announced a recent addition to its expansive portfolio of flash storage products, providing a purpose-built solution for cost-sensitive consumer applications seeking high performance and reliability. The TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND is built on its 16nm process and delivers a balanced set of features for applications like USB drives and consumer solid state drives.


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This could be milk's new best friend! Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreos are coming to create the ultimate cookie party.
The Oreos, filled with Reese's signature peanut butter cream and chocolate, are taking the cake-or perhaps taking the cookie-online, where they're generating considerable buzz.
PHOTOS: See More Outrageous Oreos
The Nabisco company is no stranger to trying out wacky flavors like watermelon and candy corn, but this Oreo, as plenty of people on social media agree, seems like a natural.
The limited edition mashup hits shelves June 9.
To find out what else is buzzing online right now, click here.


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New research reveals 63 percent of companies with global design strategies in place state that protecting intellectual property IP- is a top challenge. AberdeenGroup s new research report titled, The Global Product Design Benchmark Report reveals a striking lack of action being taken to protect IP despite major concerns by manufacturers. The report also reveals other complexities that companies face as a result of global design and the actions they are taking to address their challenges, including the use of product lifecycle management PLM- software technology.
In addition to IP concerns, companies with global design strategies also face obstacles in their ability to synchronize distributed designs and in their ability to manage changes across dispersed teams. Perceived challenges vary based on the length of time that a particular company has had a global design strategy in place. Initial strategic concerns about IP and retaining product knowledge, for example, give way to more tactical concerns as managing increased complexity gains in importance. Global design has benefits that are very attractive to manufacturers, but adds new challenges and intensifies existing problem areas, said Jim Brown, vice president, global product innovation and engineering for AberdeenGroup and author of the report. Many companies are designing in four to five geographies in either outsourced or company-owned design centers. Designing products in a distributed approach makes classic control, communication and collaboration challenges in product development even more difficult to manage. In addition to detailing the major challenges, The Global Product Design Benchmark Report provides recommendations to resolve the top concerns of companies pursuing global design strategies. The report also discusses how best-in-class companies are addressing their concerns and meeting their global design goals. Source: www.dmreview.coma>


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HTC One M9 Hima surfaces in the Geekbench database
As previously reported, HTC is expected to unveil a new flagship smartphone on March 1st at a special event that the manufacturer has scheduled just before MWC 2015 kicks off in Barcelona. As we get closer and closer to the date, rumors and leaks detailing the new HTC flagship are now surfacing at an unprecedented rate. The HTC One M8 successor has been often referred to as the HTC One M9 Hima, although some of the more spicy rumors say that the handset will actually be called the HTC Hima.
The HTC One M9 Hima was recently discovered in the GeekBench 3 database. Geekbench is a popular cross platform benchmark app that analyzes the performance of the processor and RAM memory. As many rumors claimed during the past month, the benchmark reveals that the HTC Hima will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM. The HTC Hima prototype scored 1232 points in single core tests, and 3587 points in multi-core tests.
Interestingly, these scores are almost equal to that of the Exynos 5433, a chip that Samsung used as an alternative to the Snapdragon 805 on the Galaxy Note 4. Rumors claim that Samsung will not use the Snapdragon 810 on the Galaxy S6 due to an overheating issue, while a more recent rumors claims that OnePlus is having difficulties implementing the chip on the OnePlus 2. So far, we're hearing no word that HTC is facing similar issues.


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Top 100 Agencies: AgencyRx
AgencyRx president Michael Schreiber describes 2012 as a coming-of-age year for the agency. “We're about eight years old right now, so I guess in agency years that's adolescence,” he says, laughing, “and I feel like we're really coming into our adulthood and on the cusp of being a tier one agency—that's exciting.”
The agency has gone from being known as a CDM conflict shop to the second largest of the group, says Schreiber: “I think calling us a conflict shop is a little bit of a misnomer. We do handle some conflicts, but on the other hand we're a full-service agency pitching our own business. We're not just a conflict shop.”
In most coming-of-age stories, there are growing pains, and AgencyRx's was no different. Due to consolidation, AgencyRx lost some of its business with Novartis. “[They] consolidated their professional business, with agencies other than Omnicom, and so they slowly drifted away,” explains Schreiber. “That consolidation took a toll on us. There were some brands that we had since their inception like Exjade and Galvus. But that's how the consolidation trend goes.”
Just as AgencyRx saw a big name fall off its roster, it would win two significant pitches to finish off 2012. “We won a pitch for ParaGard, an IUD for women's health, and a product from Noven for treating menopause,” says Schreiber, “we grew our women's health portfolio.” The agency would also score wins from a new biopharmaceutical client, Keryx, and from Edward Lifesciences, for their heart valve technologies, at the start of 2013.
Schreiber attributes some of his agency's success to its “Lab Team Model,” their take on structuring teams: “So traditionally, you would have an account person with an art director and a copywriter leading your accounts, and then bring in supplemental disciplines when necessary,” he explains. “But what we've done is we give every brand a lead team that is equal parts creative, account, digital and strategic services. Each one of those brands has a dedicated member at the helm working side by side with the other disciplines.”
That model has led AgencyRx to a fast start in 2013, according to Schreiber, with the agency already seeing double-digit growth. Another shift for the Omnicom shop is part of a wider industry trend: the move away from primary care blockbusters to more specialty products.“The days of the giant blockbuster are few and far between. We're not getting single products with multimillion-dollar budgets,” Schreiber points out. “We're looking at specialty products, and the kind of work we are doing for them is different, too. It's not necessarily the big launch campaign with multiple POAs. It's non-traditional work. Things like consulting or advocacy building through a medical group. And it's often very targeted digital work so we can measure the ROI on it. It's a lot more granular than what we've seen in the past.”


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KUANTAN: Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob has threatened to sue Semambu assemblyman, Lee Chean Chung, over his baseless allegations on the sale of the East Coast Mall (ECM) shopping complex here.
Adnan said he is upset over Lee's claims portraying him as being involved in corrupt practices on the sale of the shopping mall to Singaporean companies.
"I warn the Semambu assemblyman not to spread lies... If you think I am corrupt, report (me) to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. This is (your) strategy to (create a) false and negative perception. The opposition always spreads lies!
"If you repeat (your) statement outside the (Pahang Legislative Assembly hall)... I will sue you," he said to Lee during the winding-up debate on the royal address at the state assembly sitting today.
Adnan said apart from the Singaporean companies, there are still shareholders from Malaysia in CapitaLand Malaysia Mall Trust – the main investor in ECM.
Lee, a first-term Semambu assemblyman, had recently uploaded a post on Facebook quoting the 2016 state assembly hansard, which read that Adnan had confirmed the sale of ECM to Singaporean entities.


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New ChampMan set for Mac
The latest version of Championship Manager will be released in time for Christmas, creators Eidos have revealed today.
The football management simulation, already out on the PC, will land on the 13th of November according to reports.
"Following our successful launch of the PC game and strong PR campaign, we've seen a lot of requests for a Mac version and there is not long to wait now," enthuses CM mouthpiece Roy Meredith announcing the release.
The PC version of Championship Manager 2010 was launched alongside a 'pay what you like' pricing structure, inspired by the release of the last Radiohead album. It is unclear whether this approach has worked, or whether the Mac version will follow this approach.
- Resident Evil: Revelations 2 may be coming to the PS Vita
- Destiny gets its first raid today, the Vault Of Glass
- Assassin's Creed: Unity co-op trailer arrives
- Lukewarm Destiny reviews could cost Bungie 2.5 million USD
- Borderlands multiplayer comes back to life on Steam
- Saints Row creative director Steve Jaros announces he's off to join Valve
- We want to rebuild a player-first culture says EA CEO Andrew Wilson
- WWE 2K15 gets delayed on next-gen
- Playground to add eight new cars to Forza Horizon 2 on launch day, VIP and Car pass details announced


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Voucher Token. Hemp Grows Faster Than Bitcoin
CBDoken, a Vienna-based company, plans to shock the traditional CBD market by creating an open, distributed alternative distribution method through their Voucher token.
- CBDoken offers resellers a digital, transferable and claimable CBD voucher token.
- CBDoken enables customers to simply buy premium CBD products shipping worldwide to your house door.
- They partner directly with the worlds best producers to save you 50% off regular market price!
Worldwide distribution of fair priced CBD
By leveraging the best of blockchain technology and great business practice, the team behind CBDoken has created a plan that will enable CBD Full Spectrum Oil traded as tokenized Vouchers.
Why is This Important?
Because of the controversy associated with cannabis, even completely legitimate CBD extracts are not traded on the open market due to the potential for supply chain abuse. Some countries even consider CBD to be an illegal product, regardless of the fact that it contains 0-0.02% THC.
This type of attitude from regulators is what prevents the traditional economy to bring this product as a commodity to the open markets. Utilizing a decentralized token to facilitate trade is perfect because the traders never come into physical contact with the product.
On the other hand, white-label brands sell CBD products at outrageous prices, 300-800% more than what they pay to the producers in the U.S. and the EU. CBDoken shows an incredibly high potential to mitigate two of the largest contributors to high CBD prices.
The “CBD Full Spectrum oil” that CBDoken will provide is of the highest quality with hemp oil. This is a highly competitive product on the quality-based marketplace, for which people are currently prepared to pay up to 6x from production prices.
With the help of their proprietary ERC20 token, they will be able to effectively price and position their partner’s CBD product to the open marketplace. No other CBD company in the world has done this before, so there are a lot of curious minds looking to see what the results will be.
How Does the Token Work?
Once their distribution begins, the business will utilize the Voucher Tokens as a representation of 10ml CBD Full Spectrum Oil in stock. The ratio between tokens and the stocked product will remain equal. Their smart contact will burn the tokens when an order has been made.
Burning the tokens means that they are getting destroyed at the point of sale, and the product is already on its way to the consumer. The smart contract connects their CBD manufacturer to the end users, providing a clear path of distribution without inflating the price along the way.
In addition to this, a CBDoken Webshop will be opened which will sell the CBD product in exchange for fiat prices based on community-defined pricing. To facilitate the sale, CBDoken will purchase a token from the exchanges and will execute the burning process.
Private Sale Details
There is a limited amount of tokens available for the private sale, which will end on 31 of August 2018.
This Crypto Voucher is going to be the main mechanism for facilitating purchases once their solution becomes operational, the smart contract in place will burn the Token Vouchers, informing the market about the purchase, and keeping the 1:1 ratio in place.
Connect With the Community
Connect with CBDoken’s community to learn more about the project and be the first one to hear about updates coming from the team, or simply to participate in various discussions regarding CBD or related topics with others.


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After two years coming down the pipe at tech giants, Europe’s new privateness framework, the Normal Information Safety Regulation (GDPR), is now being utilized — and very long time Facebook privateness critic, Max Schrems, has wasted no time in submitting four complaints referring to (sure) corporations’ ‘take it or depart it’ stance on the subject of consent.
The complaints have been filed on behalf of (unnamed) particular person customers — with one filed towards Facebook; one towards Fb-owned Instagram; one towards Fb-owned WhatsApp; and one towards Google’s Android.
Schrems argues that the businesses are utilizing a method of “pressured consent” to proceed processing the people’ private knowledge — when the truth is the legislation requires that customers be given a free alternative until a consent is strictly crucial for provision of the service. (And, nicely, Fb claims its core product is social networking — fairly than farming individuals’s private knowledge for advert concentrating on.)
“It’s easy: Something strictly crucial for a service doesn’t want consent containers anymore. For the whole lot else customers will need to have an actual option to say ‘sure’ or ‘no’,” Schrems writes in a press release.
“Fb has even blocked accounts of customers who haven’t given consent,” he provides. “Ultimately customers solely had the selection to delete the account or hit the “agree”-button — that’s not a free alternative, it extra reminds of a North Korean election course of.”
We’ve reached out to all the businesses concerned for remark and can replace this story with any response. Replace: Fb has now despatched the next assertion, attributed to its chief privateness officer, Erin Egan: “We have now ready for the previous 18 months to make sure we meet the necessities of the GDPR. We have now made our insurance policies clearer, our privateness settings simpler to search out and launched higher instruments for individuals to entry, obtain, and delete their info. Our work to enhance individuals’s privateness doesn’t cease on Might 25th. For instance, we’re constructing Clear Historical past: a manner for everybody to see the web sites and apps that ship us info whenever you use them, clear this info out of your account, and switch off our capacity to retailer it related along with your account going ahead.”
Schrems most not too long ago based a not-for-profit digital rights group to give attention to strategic litigation across the bloc’s up to date privateness framework, and the complaints have been filed by way of this crowdfunded NGO — which known as noyb (aka ‘none of what you are promoting’).
As we identified in our GDPR explainer, the supply within the regulation permitting for collective enforcement of people’ knowledge rights is a vital one, with the potential to strengthen the implementation of the legislation by enabling non-profit organizations comparable to noyb to file complaints on behalf of people — thereby serving to to redress the facility imbalance between company giants and shopper rights.
That stated, the GDPR’s collective redress provision is a part that Member States can select to derogate from, which helps clarify why the primary 4 complaints have been filed with knowledge safety businesses in Austria, Belgium, France and Hamburg in Germany — areas that even have knowledge safety businesses with a powerful document of defending privateness rights.
Provided that the Fb corporations concerned in these complaints have their European headquarters in Eire it’s possible the Irish knowledge safety company will become involved too. And it’s truthful to say that, inside Europe, Eire doesn’t have a powerful repute as an information safety rights champion.
However the GDPR permits for DPAs in numerous jurisdictions to work collectively in situations the place they’ve joint issues and the place a service crosses borders — so noyb’s motion seems to be meant to check this component of the brand new framework too.
Below the penalty construction of GDPR, main violations of the legislation can appeal to fines as massive as four% of an organization’s world income which, within the case of Fb or Google, implies they could possibly be on the hook for greater than a billion euros apiece — if they’re deemed to have violated the legislation, because the complaints argue.
That stated, given how freshly fastened in place the principles are, some EU regulators might nicely tread softly on the enforcement entrance — at the least within the first situations, to offer corporations some advantage of the doubt and/or an opportunity to make amends to return into compliance if they’re deemed to be falling in need of the brand new requirements.
Nonetheless, in situations the place corporations themselves seem like trying to deform the legislation with a willfully self-serving interpretation of the principles, regulators might really feel they should act swiftly to nip any disingenuousness within the bud.
“We in all probability is not going to instantly have billions of penalty funds, however the companies have deliberately violated the GDPR, so we anticipate a corresponding penalty underneath GDPR,” writes Schrems.
Solely yesterday, for instance, Fb founder Mark Zuckerberg — talking in an on stage interview on the VivaTech convention in Paris — claimed his firm hasn’t needed to make any radical modifications to adjust to GDPR, and additional claimed “overwhelming majority” of Fb customers are willingly opting in to focused promoting by way of its new consent move.
“We’ve been rolling out the GDPR flows for various weeks now with a view to be sure that we have been doing this in a great way and that we may consider everybody’s suggestions earlier than the Might 25 deadline. And one of many issues that I’ve discovered attention-grabbing is that the overwhelming majority of individuals select to decide in to make it in order that we are able to use the information from different apps and web sites that they’re utilizing to make adverts higher. As a result of the truth is if you happen to’re prepared to see adverts in a service you need them to be related and good adverts,” stated Zuckerberg.
He didn’t point out that the dominant social community doesn’t supply individuals a free alternative on accepting or declining focused promoting. The brand new consent move Fb revealed forward of GDPR solely presents the ‘alternative’ of quitting Fb totally if an individual doesn’t need to settle for concentrating on promoting. Which, nicely, isn’t a lot of a alternative given how highly effective the community is. (Moreover, it’s value stating that Fb continues monitoring non-users — so even deleting a Fb account doesn’t assure that Fb will cease processing your private knowledge.)
Requested about how Fb’s enterprise mannequin can be affected by the brand new guidelines, Zuckerberg primarily claimed nothing important will change — “as a result of giving individuals management of how their knowledge is used has been a core precept of Fb for the reason that starting”.
“The GDPR provides some new controls after which there’s some areas that we have to adjust to however general it isn’t such an enormous departure from how we’ve approached this previously,” he claimed. “I imply I don’t need to downplay it — there are sturdy new guidelines that we’ve wanted to place a bunch of labor into ensuring that we complied with — however as a complete the philosophy behind this isn’t utterly completely different from how we’ve approached issues.
“So as to have the ability to give individuals the instruments to attach in all of the methods they need and construct group quite a lot of philosophy that’s encoded in a regulation like GDPR is admittedly how we’ve thought of all these items for a very long time. So I don’t need to understate the areas the place there are new guidelines that we’ve needed to go and implement however I additionally don’t need to make it look like it is a huge departure in how we’ve thought of these items.”
So EU regulators are primarily going through a primary check of their mettle — i.e. whether or not they’re prepared to step up and defend the road of the legislation towards large tech’s makes an attempt to reshape it of their enterprise mannequin’s picture.
Privateness legal guidelines are nothing new in Europe however strong enforcement of them would definitely be a breath of recent air. And now at the least, due to GDPR, there’s a penalties construction in place to offer incentives in addition to enamel, and spin up a market round strategic litigation — with Schrems and noyb within the vanguard.
Schrems additionally makes the purpose that small startups and native corporations are much less possible to have the ability to use the form of strong-arm ‘take it or depart it’ techniques on customers that large tech is ready to unilaterally apply and extract ‘consent’ as a consequence of the attain and energy of their platforms — arguing there’s an underlying competitors concern that GDPR may additionally assist to redress.
“The battle towards pressured consent ensures that the companies can’t pressure customers to consent,” he writes. “That is particularly essential in order that monopolies don’t have any benefit over small companies.”


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This is the revolutionary £5,000 ( over ₦2.5 million) VAR headset which will be used at the World Cup in Russia.
Fifa last night gave a thumbs-up to the device designed to speed up controversial video decisions.
Instead of referees rushing to view a pitchside TV, they will be able to see VAR images instantly on a 3D digital screen.
Boffins at electronics giants Sony came up with the idea to combine real pictures with virtual-reality.
Its built-in gridwork of digital lines super-imposed across the turf allows refs to make accurate offside calls while a unique motion scanner can also detect players diving — all in real time.
Fifa got former top ref Mark Halsey to trial the device after he wore a ref-cam for a 4-4 TV charity match between Salford City and the Class of 92 last year.
And Premier League refs have also tried it out in training.
Halsey donned the device in a behind-closed-doors game in Russia.
His verdict: “This is a real game-changer. It will revolutionise VAR.
“The current process takes too long, fans are moaning it’s ruining the game. But with this, referees can make correct decisions instantly.
“The headset can also beam images to giant screens in the stadiums, so fans can see what is going on for themselves.”
Fifa believe the system is foolproof and their spokesperson Avril Blague said: “The trials proved this headset is the future for VAR.”
Culled from Sun
If you use the quotes from this content, you legally agree to give www.brila.net the News credit as the source and a backlink to our story. Copyright 2023 Brila Media.


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A premium Automobile manufacture, Daimler has launched a hardware car wallet, which will be powered by Europe’s blockchain interface company, RIDDLE&CODE. The car wallet was a part of the successful completion of round 6 funding of Autobahn program, one of Daimler’s start-up.
According to RIDDLE&CODE, the wallet is built on a secure Element 2.0, which is based on blockchain technology. The innovation is aimed at making Autonomous vehicles consistent and to eventually earn people’s trust.
The cryptographic hardware will do this by securing the vehicles identity. This, in turn, will ensure that only authorized individuals gain access to the vehicle. In addition, the technology will ensure all personal data is securely exchanged between vehicles.
In a post on their site the company stated:
In the not-too-distant future, millions of (autonomous) vehicles and networked sensors will be communicating with each other, to exchange information about vehicle status, use of charging points, parking spaces, and roads as well as any repair orders – and to automatically protocol this and pay for it by micropayment. As, because each block is no more than a cluster of bits, conditions can be embedded directly within the transactions. These are known as ‘smart contracts’.
In further explaining the benefits of the wallets, Alexander Koppel, CEO, and co-founder of RIDDLE&CODE said:
This is a prime example of a global market leader betting on European industry collaboration and DLT-based innovation. A new generation of open mobility services will create new business models, and RIDDLE&CODE is excited to be at the heart of it with our hardware-based car wallet…It shows an ability to continue to offer disruptive value-added services creating new marketplaces for mobility, energy, and finance.
Some of the other expected use cases from the car wallets are car-sharing, traffic control, and also curbing of car accidents. Daimler interaction with blockchain solutions is expected to improve the mobility sector in many different ways.
The partnership between Daimler and RIDDLE&CODE also led to the formation of a Mobility Blockchain Platform (MBP) for mobility services. The platform has drawn in many companies that want to make use of the technology. For instance, Blockchain Helix is joining the platform for a human digital identity solution. Evan.Network has used the platform for the Network layer while 51 Nodes are also using the same platform for smart contracts.
Note: Tokens on the Bitcoin Core (SegWit) chain are referenced as SegWitCoin BTC coins. Altcoins, which value privacy, anonymity, and distance from government intervention, are referenced as dark coins.
Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) is today the only Bitcoin project that follows the original Satoshi Nakamoto whitepaper, and that follows the original Satoshi protocol and design. BSV is the only public blockchain that maintains the original vision for Bitcoin and will massively scale to become the world’s new money and enterprise blockchain.
Source From : coingeek


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The company has shops on Foregate Street, Chester, at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet in Ellesmere Port, and in Warrington town centre's Golden Square Shopping Centre. It has failed to find any buyers for the business, with its 106 stores across the country now expected to close.
Hundreds of employees, including those in the three Cheshire stores, are likely to face redundancy. Administrators from Begbies Traynor were appointed by Paperchase to oversee the insolvency process, with Tesco confirming it's buying the brand and its intellectual property but not the stores or the workforce.
The administrators said: "On January 31, Mark Fry, Kirstie Provan and Gary Shankland, of Begbies Traynor, were appointed as joint administrators of Aspen Phoenix Newco Limited, which trades as Paperchase. Unfortunately, despite a comprehensive sales process, no viable offers were received for the company, or its business and assets, on a going concern basis.
"However, there has been significant interest in the Paperchase brand and attendant intellectual property. The joint administrators will continue trading the company's operations in the short-term, with all stores remaining open and trading as normal."
Jan Marchant, managing director of home and clothing at Tesco, said: “Paperchase is a well-loved brand by so many, and we’re proud to bring it to Tesco stores across the UK. We have been building out plans to bring more brands and inspiration to the ranges we currently offer, and this will help us to take those plans further.
"We look forward to sharing more with our customers in due course.”


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After limiting the maximum resolution to 480p for months, YouTube now eases the cap to let users watch videos at 1080p in India. However, it’s still able for those who’re watching via a Wi-Fi network, and the cap of 480p is still on place for mobile data users. Yet, there’s a workaround from XDA developers to bypass this.
YouTube Removes Steaming Quality-Cap in India
YouTube, along with other content streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video, has restricted the maximum streaming resolution to 480p or Standard Definitely (SD) in March this year. This is due to reduce the burden falling on internet infrastructure, which has seen a sudden rise of dependency driven by COVID-19 lockdown across the globe.
Since then, users of most countries have been restricted to the quality of streaming content to SD only. And more recently, Netflix and other OTTs are gradually lifting caps to let users stream in HD and FHD. This path is now followed by YouTube, in India. Besides WhatsApp, WhatsApp too has restricted Indians to a maximum of 15-seconds for videos status upload.
The new change was found today when few users were able to see the Quality settings having 720p and 1080p options. But, there’s a catch. The new HD and FHD options are available for users of Wi-Fi network only. Thus, those who’re watching through cellular data have to wait a little longer, probably. The change is seemed to be a simple server shift, thus there’s no need to update the YouTube app for having these new add-ons.
XDA developers have revealed a simple workaround for watching YouTube videos on 1080p on mobile data, but it still requires you to have WiFi for once, initially. To watch videos in FHD, connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network, open a video in the YouTube app in 1080p quality and then disconnect the Wi-Fi. Now, switch on mobile data to let YouTube play the video on 1080p resolution. Note – This trick doesn’t work on mobile hotspots.
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The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has begun talks with the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to purchase cocoa beans from Ghana to Dubai.
The discussion is also to explore how the chamber could bring investors into the country to set up a processing factory in order to add value to the cocoa beans before exporting them.
“For now, we have had a roundtable with the COCOBOD in order to export either the raw cocoa beans or add value to it, but our main mission in Ghana is to ascertain the business opportunities existing in the country so that we can convince investors in Dubai to come and invest here,” the Director in charge of International Offices of the Chamber, Mr Omar Abdulaziz, told the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a roadshow held last Saturday in Accra.
The day’s roadshow was organised in Ghana by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) to promote Dubai’s tourism to the West African audience.
This follows a successful edition in Nigeria last year. The event was aimed at strengthening relationships with key industry stakeholders in the region.
Together with 11 of its Dubai-based partners, the roadshow started in Nigeria and ended in Ghana with a showcase of Dubai’s expanding portfolio of affordable luxury experiences in travel, accommodation, entertainment and events, with a focus on family travel.
Mr Abdulaziz indicated that the delegation from Dubai had been enthused about Ghana’s investment opportunities in agriculture, mining, real estate, tourism and energy.
He said he was confident the business opportunities existing in Ghana would propel both countries to increase trade volumes within the short to medium term.
The Africa Regional Director of Dubai Tourism, Mrs Stella Obinwa, observed that Africa continued to be a priority market for investors in Dubai, with massive potential for more visitors to choose that country as their preferred destination.
“Following our successful event last year in Nigeria, we are delighted to bring back our roadshow to both countries in West Africa. This gives us the opportunity to engage with key local travel partners and provide them with a greater understanding of Dubai’s holistic destination offering,” she added.
She said the roadshow also marked the beginning of a year that was to capitalise on the successful openings and launches in the city throughout 2016, including family-friendly destinations such as Dubai Parks and Resorts.


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American International Group is reportedly making plans to enter the consumer finance business in India, according to AFX.
Plans include launching consumer finance and home loan products, followed by a possible rollout of auto loans and credit cards, AFX reported.
The news site also stated that one route considered by the group to aid its Indian expansion was through the acquisition of established financial services players in the country. The group has already made its mark in the life and non-life insurance, retail, private equity and real estate sectors, the Economic Times reported.
Citing AIG India country head and CEO Sunil Mehta as a source, the Economic Times reported that other business areas identified by the insurer include distressed asset management, mortgage guarantee and core sector investments.


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…says family businesses are essential to global economy success
…says Nigeria needs lasting family businesses for its annual growth potentials of 4% to 6%
The PwC Nigeria’s 2021 Family Business Survey Report has highlighted gaps in embedding professional governance structures.
It identified governance is imperative to a strong legacy, adding that family businesses are essential to global economy success.
The Report revealed that despite Family businesses reporting good levels of trust, transparency and communication, there was need to entrench governance to achieve a strong legacy.
“50 per cent of Family businesses surveyed have no governance policies in place,” the report showed.
It added that although a majority of Nigerian Family businesses see an opportunity to lead in sustainable business practices, about 91 per cent of them engage in some form of social responsibility activities, mostly involving contribution to the local community or traditional forms of philanthropy.
“Only a third of Nigerian Family businesses have a developed and communicated sustainability strategy,” the Report stated.
The Family Business Survey Report was based on 2,801 interviews conducted with family business leaders and decision-makers across 87 territories including Nigeria between October, 5 and December 11, 2020.
Some of the key insights were shared at the virtual launch of the Report held on Wednesday.
Guest speakers at the event were Group Executive Director, BUA Group & ASR Africa, Kabiru Rabiu, and Group Executive Director Nestoil & Obi-Jackson Foundation, Nnenna Obiejesi.
With the theme of this year’s publication as “From trust to impact – Why family businesses need to act now to ensure their legacy tomorrow,” key issues of the day were insights on what family businesses are thinking.
Speaking at the virtual launch of the Report, Partner & Family Business Leader PwC Nigeria, Esiri Agbeyi, said: “With global disruptions like COVID-19, there is the need to focus on factors that turn current businesses into legacies for generations to come.
“There is a big task for family businesses, especially in Nigeria to effectively manage emerging risks by adopting business resilience measures across all service lines – sales, production, human capital, technology and research.”
Associate Director Family Business & Foundations PwC Nigeria, Uma Kymal, on his part said: “Family businesses are essential to the success of the global economy.
“The largest 750 alone have combined revenues of $9 trillion a year and employ more than 30 million people.
“Additionally, family-owned businesses account for over 30 per cent of companies with sales over $1 billion.
“They helped the world reboot after the financial crisis; they need to be strong to do it again after COVID-19 and secure their legacy.
“Based on their significance, it is pertinent that lasting family businesses emerge in Nigeria if Nigeria will realise its desired growth potentials of 4 per cent to 6 per cent annually.”
The Panel session moderated by Fiscal Policy Partner & Africa Tax Leader, Taiwo Oyedele, focused on sustainable philanthropy.
On the issue of governance, Rabiu said that family businesses must continue to improve their governance by ensuring that they have good audit mechanisms and the right people at management and trustee levels.
“This will ensure that every naira invested is put to the best use,” he said.
The panel also noted the importance of balancing transparent disclosures to stakeholders with the desire of family businesses to be private.
Obiejesi, reiterated that communication and transparency are key ingredients for operating on a global platform and this will ensure the sustainability of the business from one generation to another.
Key findings from the Family Business Survey 2021 Report:
41% of family businesses in Nigeria expected a decline in sales growth in 2020 (46% globally).
63% Nigerian family businesses said one of their key priorities over the next two years is introducing new products/services well over the global average of 50%.
60% said that their digital capabilities are not strong, but only 34% have deemed it a priority. It was a similar picture globally.
50% had no governance policies (21% globally).
70% said that in order to succeed going forward they must deliver greater benefits for the planet and human society (global 53%).
Some implications for Nigerian family businesses:
Growth and sustainability is at low ebb – only 16% of family-owned businesses prioritise sustainability as a defined strategy in their business; and this was biased to large businesses and new-generation family businesses.
Fostered by the lack of responsibility to society, this emphasises a gap that needs to be closed to drive the long-term survival of family businesses.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) holds expansion opportunities for businesses. Nigerian family businesses now consider business expansion a top priority to diversify their revenue sources and reduce the risk.
They can latch onto the opportunities created by AfCFTA and to tap into these opportunities, Nigeria family businesses must remodel their business process by seeking innovative ways to serve the world with the human capital at home.
Digitalisation must be embraced for growth and longevity because the ability of businesses to adapt to digital evolution will determine their longevity.
Therefore, openness to digital adoption, investment in emerging technologies, and collaboration with tech giants will support the growth of family-owned businesses in Nigeria.
The panel agreed that family businesses must professionalise family governance. A governance structure with traits like a clear conflict resolution process, adequate oversight and the absence of emotions and personal bias are important for family businesses in Nigeria.
In addition, to build family businesses that will last a lifetime; Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors must be prioritised.
Family businesses must contribute to environmental safety and support the culture and values of their immediate societies.
Family businesses must integrate their sustainability practices and also start advocating new policies that positively influence the order of business operations; ensure tax transparency; promote the ease of doing business; and encourage the emergence of new entrants.
Special regimes for accelerator programmes can be considered to foster growth and expansion.
PwC purposefully, is to build trust in society and solve important problems. It is a network of firms in 155 countries with over 284,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services.
PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.


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A federal court ruled that Aio Wireless' use of the color magenta in its marketing and branding efforts infringes upon T-Mobile US' (NYSE:TMUS) patent on the color. However, Aio said the court's decision won't impact the company because it isn't using that color anymore in its marketing.
"While we disagree with the court's decision, it addresses advertising and store designs that we are no longer implementing. Accordingly, this decision has no effect on our advertising plans," an Aio spokeswoman told FierceWireless. Aio is AT&T Mobility's (NYSE:T) prepaid brand.
The federal court ruling came after a three-day hearing on the validity of T-Mobile's claim that its use of magenta is protected by trademark law, according to T-Mobile. The court issued a temporary injunction barring Aio from using magenta in its advertising, marketing, stores, websites and social media efforts.
T-Mobile filed the lawsuit against Aio Wireless in U.S. District Court in Texas back in August and accused the brand of stealing T-Mobile's magenta color in an effort to confuse and steal T-Mobile customers. T-Mobile also alleged that AT&T launched Aio after T-Mobile unveiled its new no-contract "Simple Choice" plans. T-Mobile did announce its Simple Choice plans in late March and AT&T unveiled Aio in early May, but it's unclear how long Aio was in development.
When the lawsuit was filed, an Aio spokeswoman said that the company's color was not magenta but a deeper shade of purple than T-Mobile's magenta.
Interestingly, this battle over the use of magenta comes just as AT&T is expected to close on its acquisition of Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP), which will mean the end of the Aio Wireless. AT&T has said the Leap deal will close by the end of the first quarter and AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson has said that once the deal closes AT&T will keep Leap's no-contract Cricket brand and discontinue the Aio brand.
T-Mobile accuses AT&T's Aio of stealing its distinctive magenta color
AT&T adds 809,000 subs in Q4, promises Cricket brand will 'shake things up'
Fate of Aio uncertain in wake of AT&T's acquisition of Leap
AT&T snaps up Leap Wireless for $1.2B
AT&T adds LTE service to Aio Wireless prepaid brand
AT&T launches new prepaid service under 'Aio Wireless' brand


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“Time is scarce and today’s busy families are looking for meals that work harder and extend beyond tonight’s dinner,” explains Karen Eadon, chief marketing officer for El Pollo Loco. “By offering guests an additional whole chicken for just $3.99 with their family meal purchase, along with recipes for use with their leftovers, we’re able to give them more of the flame-grilled chicken they love, along with delicious new ways to enjoy it.”
El Pollo Loco’s limited time whole chicken offer will be communicated to consumers through general and Hispanic television spots that begin today in select West Coast markets. The offer will also be communicated through a wide mix of point-of-purchase vehicles that include translites, roof banners, window clings, and drive-thru signage.
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text: Apple's CEO Tim Cook will visit to India this week,his first visit to the country since he took over that position at the iconic Cupertino-headquartered company, and will meet PM Narendra Modi over the weekend. A government official has confirmed that a meeting between Cook and Modi has been fixed for Saturday, May 21. Cook’s visit comes at a crucial time as Apple looks for new growth markets after posting its first ever decline in iPhone sales, and as India has denied it permission to sell refurbished phones. The visit is Cook’s first to India as the head of the US technology company, one of the sources said. Apple is looking to make India as a market that will offset declining iPhone sales elsewhere, a trend which surfaced in the January-March quarter of this year. Sales in China, fell 11% in the latest quarter; in India, however, iPhone sales were up 56% from a year ago, notwithstanding it's tiny share of the smartphone market here due to the high prices of its devices. Nine out of 10 smartphones sold in India cost between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, whereas Apple's cheapest smartphone - iPhone SE - was launched in the country at Rs 39,000. Describing India's potential, Cook, in a conference call with investors, said: "Because the smartphones that are working there (India) are low end, primarily because of the network and the economics, the market potential has not been as great. But I view India where China was seven to 10 years ago. From that point of view, I think there's a really great opportunity there." Despite a slowdown in smartphone sales globally, in the first three months of 2016, sales of smartphones in India grew 23% to 24.9 million units.


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TSMC, MediaTek to co-develop products for IoT and wearable applications
Chau-Chin Chang, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES
TSMC and MediaTek have announced their commitment to a long-term partnership to continue developing innovative products for Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable device applications based on TSMC's ultra-low power (ULP) technology platform.
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Disney-owned Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group is planning a multichannel, worldwide “roadblock” simulcast of a new movie trailer on the Web, TV, and mobile phones.
The theatrical trailer for the upcoming “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” will be broadcast on May 7 on ABC TV, Disney Channel, and four channels across the Starz Entertainment Group network. America Online will handle the Webcast, and Verizon Wireless gets the mobile phone duties via its VCAST wireless multimedia service.
Within a 48-hour period surrounding the U.S. launch, the international roadblock will take place in 32 countries. There are similar plans in each country to simulcast the trailer on TV and online outlets. The Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media film, based on the novels of C.S. Lewis, opens in theaters in December.
Disney also took the roadblock approach with its 2003 launch of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but on a smaller scale, said Dennis Rice, SVP of publicity at Buena Vista Pictures Marketing.
“We did a roadblock across all of the Disney television properties, and it worked out great. With a movie with as much worldwide interest as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,’ we wanted to do one better by launching it around the world on broadcast, online, and mobile phones,” Rice said.
Disney has long embraced the Web as a marketing channel. It launched the Go.com portal in 1996, which had a rocky start, and later changed its name to The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG). WDIG was an early entrant to the mobile content market in 1999, when it launched text-based content services in the U.S. under the ABC News and ESPN brands, and later expanded into Japan and 25 other countries.
In October 2004, WDIG created Starwave Mobile, a licensing and publishing business focusing on non-Disney branded mobile games and entertainment. In March, Disney Pictures Marketing created online video ads with specially produced footage to promote the action film, “The Pacifier.”
Despite the fact that it faces growing competition from Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, Google-owned YouTube is still one of the most popular ... read more
Amazon prides itself on being the most “customer-centric” company in the world, but according to investigative journalism non-profit ProPublica, Amazon’s algorithms are often anything but ... read more


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Global Ecommerce Consumer Survey Compares Shopping Habits, Fraud Worries, Customer Experience Expectations
Sapio Research study conducted by ClearSale shows which consumers are most comfortable with cross-border shopping, most worried about online fraud, and most likely to abandon a merchant after a false decline.
Miami, FL (January 12, 2021) - International fraud protection leader ClearSale (https://clear.sale) is pleased to release an extensive analysis of its five-country study on consumer attitudes commissioned from Sapio Research titled, 2021 Global Ecommerce Consumer Behavior Analysis. The analysis shows merchants how online shoppers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico and Australia decide which ecommerce stores to buy from and which to avoid.
“With so much growth in online shopping worldwide this year, we want to help merchants understand customer attitudes so they can meet the expectations of their ideal customers, whether those are American Baby Boomers, Mexican millennials or Gen Z Australians,” said Rafael Lourenco, ClearSale Executive Vice President.
The study was conducted in early March 2020 surveyed more than 1,000 frequent online shoppers in each country. The survey asked shoppers for their opinions about online security and data privacy, their concerns about online fraud and where they prefer to shop, among other topics.
Among the survey findings, 52% of all consumers order from overseas merchants as well as in-country retailers and 50% are most likely to shop on a phone or tablet. “These numbers show that merchants that don’t accept cross-border orders and provide a good mobile experience are missing out on half of their potential customers,” Lourenco said.
The survey also found that consumers worry about fraud but don’t have patience with merchants who reject their orders by mistake.
• 78% of all consumers say they feel as safe or safer shopping online than in stores, even though 42% have been victims of online fraud.
• 39% of all consumers say they’ll never shop again with a merchant that declines their order.
“Here we see the importance of letting customers know that your store has fraud protection, as well as the need to avoid false declines that drive customers away and reduce average customer lifetime value,” Lourenco said.
The survey also found differences in consumer behavior between countries. For example:
• 72% of Mexican online shoppers and 60% of Australian online shoppers order from both overseas and in-country merchants, compared to only 37% of U.S. and U.K. shoppers.
• 64% of Mexican shoppers read merchant reviews before making an online purchase, but only 34% of U.K. shoppers do.
• Australian and U.S. shoppers are the most likely to abandon a purchase if asked to create a customer account.
“Any merchant who wants to understand their customers’ behavior can use this information to improve their customer experience and reach cross-border customers more effectively,” Lourenco said. The full analysis of the ecommerce customer survey is available at https://offer.clear.sale/global-ecommerce-consumer-behavior.
ClearSale offers the most complete ecommerce fraud protection, combining cutting-edge statistical technology with the world’s largest team of specialized fraud analysts for a balanced, comprehensive, real-world approach. Trusted by over 3,000 customers worldwide and touting a 99% retention rate, ClearSale is the first company to offer chargeback guarantees and the largest company focused on global card-not-present fraud prevention. ClearSale helps businesses prevent fraudulent chargebacks without interfering with the online shopping experience. As a result, clients can sell more, safely, even in dynamic or challenging international markets. More information at https://clear.sale or follow on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter @ClearSaleUS.


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POLAND: Belvedere close to Krakow acquisition
The French drinks company Belvedere is reportedly close to purchasing a 78% stake in the Polmos Krakow distillery via a capital increase, a Polmos Krakow spokesman was quoted in the Polish press as saying today.
A report by Interfax said Belvedere's Polish unit Belvedere Dystrybucja will make the purchase on behalf of its owner. Out of the remaining 22% state, 15% will be given to employees.
Belvedere has been in talks to acquire the Polish spirits producer for some time. The privatisation of Krakow is expected to take place via a PLN24m share issue.
Meanwhile the privatization of Poland's spirits sector should be completed by the end of 2003, the country's Treasury Minister Wieslaw Kaczmarek told MPs today.
The recently announced 30% cut in excise on spirits, to be introduced still this year, has boosted the attractiveness of the producers to potential investors, Kaczmarek said.
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NEW DELHI — India’s central bank has lowered its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 6% to strengthen domestic growth ahead of a national election next week.
The interest rate is what the federal bank charges on lending to commercial banks. Lower interest rates help borrowers.
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The rate cut comes amid a deterioration in the outlook for regional and global growth.
In a bimonthly review of the economy released on Thursday, the Reserve Bank of India cut the retail inflation forecast to 2.9-3% for the first half of this fiscal year. It cited lower food and fuel prices and expectations for a normal rainy season.
In its February policy statement, the RBI had projected retail inflation at between 3.2-3.4%.
India’s financial year runs from April-March.


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Reebok Tebow Jersey
March 30, 2012 by staff
Reebok Tebow Jersey, Jets quarterback Tim Tebow already has been introduced to fans, but they’ll have to wait until Tuesday to meet his official NFL jersey.
U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel granted Nike Inc. a temporary restraining order late Wednesday, finding “sufficient reason” for him to block sales of Tebow merchandise created by Reebok International Ltd. after March 1.
Nike has a five-year deal to be the NFL’s exclusive provider of on-field apparel, including game uniforms and sideline apparel.
Officials maintained in a lawsuit that Reebok rushed to market with Tebow apparel to take advantage of a “unique and short-lived opportunity.”
Nike officials said Reebok was required to get Tebow’s permission if it intended to hurry out shipments of Jets-Tebow apparel after he was traded last week from the Broncos to the Jets.
Reebok’s 10-year NFL licensing deal ends this month.
Castel banned Reebok from selling any apparel with the name “Tebow” on it unless it was made by March 1, while he was still with the Broncos.
He set a hearing in the case for Wednesday.
Reebok spokesman Daniel Sarro said Reebok was preparing evidence to “argue our position necessary to refute Nike’s contentions.
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Cronut Creator Concocts Milk and Cookie 'Shots'
The summer of 2013 may go down in foodie history as the summer of the cronut.
But now that the cronut craze has (maybe slightly) subsided, creator Dominique Ansel had to come up with something else. After all, no self-respecting French baker wants to be known as a one-pastry wonder.
All hail the Chocolate Chip Cookie Milk Shots.
It's a shot glass made out of a chocolate-chip cookie and filled with icy cold milk. Shoot the milk, then eat the cookie.
Ansel posted his latest creation to his Instagram account earlier this week. A spokesperson told ABC News the first Chocolate Chip Cookie Milk Shots will be sampled on Sunday, March 9, at the SXSW Allison+Partners event. Yes, Ansel will be there and yes he will be making cronuts.
But when will Chocolate Chip Cookie Milk Shots be coming to a city near you? Unclear. "As of right now it's exclusively for SXSW," the spokesperson said.


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Viacom18 Consumer Products, a part of India’s leading media and entertainment conglomerate, with Leapster Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. has launched its first Roadies Koffeehouz in Surat, marking its flagship outlet in Gujarat.
Located at International Business Centre in Surat, Roadies Koffeehouz promises to be the ultimate destination that brings together Roadies enthusiasts to unwind and relax, powered by specialty coffee and freshly prepared gourmet food.
“The response for the Roadies Koffeehouz experiential franchise has been very encouraging, with all our current outlets gaining immense popularity across cities. Surat, with its incredible fanbase, was the next most inevitable destination for us. We will soon expand in Ahmedabad and Valsad, consolidating our leadership position in Gujarat, which is a key market for us. We look forward to launching around 20 outlets by the end of 2024,” shared Sachin Puntambekar, Business Head, Consumer Products, Viacom18.
Renowned host and DJ Nikhil Chinapa, former Roadies personalities Sohail Singh Jhuti, Yukti Arora, and Abhimanyu, along with actors Devanshi Vyaas and Yuvraj Gadhvi of Colors Gujarati ‘Sorathni Mrs Singham’ fame were present at the launch.
Spread over a sprawling area of 5000 sq ft feet, Roadies Koffeehouz, Surat will offer fans and visitors an exceptional dining experience with great ambience, beverage, and food which will be open 24/7.
The outlet is designed with décor inspired by Roadies, including a striking neon bike.
The highlight of the franchise outlet is the beverage menu that offers cold beverages in special cans sealed in front of customers. It will also offer a specialty coffee blend exclusively roasted for the franchise, featuring a Premium Arabica and a phenomenal naturally processed Robusta from the gorgeous hills of Coorg. Customized to the local preferences, the menu features specially curated multicuisine all-vegetarian options including plant-based protein dishes and non-onion and non-garlic options, all freshly prepared using gourmet ingredients by internationally trained chefs.
“Our goal has been to capture the phenomenon that is Roadies and create a coffee and food offering that is unparalleled in its ambition for quality and taste. From our chefs to our servers, each team member has imbibed the spirit of Roadies, ensuring the flavours represent adventure and thrill and the in store experience is as entertaining, memorable and comforting,” added Sahil Baweja, CEO Roadies Koffeehouz and Director Leapster Restaurants.
With the launch of Roadies Koffeehouz in Gujarat, Viacom18 Consumer Products aims to rapidly expand in the experiential space and engage with viewers in unique ways.
“I am very excited to be the first franchisee of Roadies Koffeehouz in Gujarat. The teams at Viacom18 Consumer Products and Leapster Restaurants have created a high energy outlet which is the first of its kind in Surat. We already have an overwhelming response and hope to make this the perfect destination for the youth and families,” mentioned Sanjay Shingala, Franchise Partner for Surat.


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1248 will be unveiling DevicePilot at next week’s ARM® TechCon in Silicon Valley, a new as-a-Service solution for managing the growing IoT ecosystem. DevicePilot continuously monitors and manages connected devices over their complete life-cycle and presents a simple dashboard showing how many devices have been deployed, where and by whom, how many are not working and why.
1248 has joined the ARM® mbed™ Partner Ecosystem and announced that its new automated,Internet of Things (IoT) device management solution will be launched at the ARM TechCon event in Silicon Valley in November.
London, UK. June 26, 2014: A consortium of more than 40 UK-based technology companies funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Technology Strategy Board, has delivered on the first phase of its initiative to accelerate the widespread move to the Internet of Things (IoT). HyperCat is a new open IoT specification that allows machines to work together over the internet and for applications to [...]
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text: Wolverine Worldwide achieved a “very good” performance in the fourth quarter thanks to a boost enjoyed by its major brands, namely Merrell and Sperry. Yet, that is not enough to financial analysts. At fixed currency revenues increased by 4,6%, therefore reaching 579,6 million dollars: Wall Street estimates were 581,91 million dollars. Moreover, profits also went below expectations: as a result, such outcome considerably hit the company’s stocks, which have been also affected by 2019 forecast, whose estimates are below than expected. The group is not facing happy days as a matter of fact: such trend is being confirmed by figures about 2018 financial statements. At the end of 2018, the revenues of Wolverine Worldwide amounted to 2,239 billion dollars, that is, -4,7% compared to 2017. In contrast, gross margin reached 41,1%: in 2017 it was 38,9%. “We achieved an excellent accomplishment in 2018: profits went beyond expectations, while earnings basically increased in line with our predictions. Our adjusted operating margin reached 12%, therefore exceeding the goal we had initially set”, remarked Mike Stornant, senior vice-president and chief financial officer of the group. He carried on by saying: “As for 2019, we are going to stick to our strategy, based on investments in organic growth and strategic business acquisitions; furthermore, we’ll keep focusing on capital assets to enhance the stock price in favour of our shareholders, including the buy-back of 400 million dollars ordinary shares and the increase, by 25%, in quarterly shares of profits”. Looking ahead at 2019, the group’s expected earnings amount to 2,28 – 2,33 billion dollars, therefore increasing by 3%; gross margin will slightly go up as well.


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LG.Philips Displays scores big at Turkish roadshows
LG.Philips Displays made a big hit among Turkish TV set manufacturers during two roadshows our company held in March 2004 in Istanbul and Manisa, Turkey.
TV set makers Beko and Telra attended our roadshow at Hotel Kaya Ramada Istanbul on March 16, and two days later, the management and technical staff of Vestel attended our roadshow and presentation held right at the company’s plant in Manisa.
During the roadshows, LG.Philips Displays made a comprehensive presentation of what our company can offer to our customers, and staged exhibits of latest product innovations with detailed discussions of our latest products relevant to our customers’ business.
The presentation gave the three Turkish TV manufacturers an overview of the market and LG.Philips Displays’ position in the business. There were also substantive discussions on our company’s cost and performance innovations related to products on exhibit and product benchmarks. A special aspect of the presentations involved an introduction and demonstration of our SuperSlim products.
About 120 employees from the three Turkish companies visited our Roadshow. They came from R&D;, purchasing, sales, logistics and management.
Among the products on exhibit were the 29”RF, 28”WSRF, 24”WSRF, 25”RF, 32”WSRF, 34”RF, 32”WSRF Cybertube+ SuperSlim and 21”RF Cybertube+ SuperSlim. The top stars were the 32”WSRF SuperSlim and the 21”RF SuperSlim, which generated much interest and positive remarks from the visitors.


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Lord Harris has pledged that his Carpetright chain will reopen in Tottenham after the rioting that destroyed the company’s store.
The Tory peer, who has invested his own money in 13 academy schools for underprivileged pupils, said he was horrified by the scenes of violence and looting on the streets of London and other English cities.
The carpet tycoon insisted: “We will reopen in Tottenham — we will be back to help these people. They will be scarred for a long time.”
Mark Prisk, business minister, re-emphasised the need for government to “renew our high streets”.
Town centres across the country have struggled over the past decade to compete against out-of-town shopping malls. As a result, retail chains have quit town centres, where boarded-up shop…